Handle and socket-plate for caskets.



No. 816,653. PATENTED APR. 3, 1906.

I J. G. EDWARD.

HANDLE AND SOCKET PLATE FOR GASKETS.

APPLIGATION FILED SEPT. 12, 1905 an ITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HANDLE AND SOCKET-PLATE FOR GASKETS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 3, 1906.

Application filed September 12, 1905. Serial No. 278,179.

To (all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN C. EDWARD, a

. citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Handles and Socket-Plates for Caskets, of which the-following is a specification.

This invention relates to handles for caskets or other receptacles, and has for its object to form the handle and socket plate as a whole from sheet metal which may be stamped or blanked out and which when the parts are fitted together as hereinafter described will be stronger, lighter, and more durable than if cast in the usual way.

Another object of the invention is to so form the parts that they may be assembled without the use of screws, rivets, or similar attaching means, by which method of assembling the parts the completed device will present a more pleasing appearance than would be the case if the parts were riveted together.

Another object of the invention is to provide a reinforcing-plate which will be secured to the under face of the socket-plate and will serve to provide stops or abutments for limiting the movement of the handle and will greatly strengthen the device as a whole and the individual parts thereof.

The invention consists in the features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front face view of the socket-plate and handle with the handle in closed position; Fig. 2, a similar under face view; Fig. 3, an enlarged crosssectional view showing the handle ra sed and taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4, a longitudinal sectional View taken on line 4 4 of Fig. 1, and Figs. 5 and 6 views of the parts composing the handle.

The socket-plate 1 is preferably of oval formation, and its upper edge 2 and end edges 3 are inwardly rounded to be convex on the outer face and concave on the inner face, the entire plate being formed of a piece of sheet metal of uniform thickness throughout. The lower edge is cut away to leave an inwardly-rounded central opening 4, which opening terminates at its ends in inwardlyextending slots 5, the rounded opening and slots being adapted to receive a handle 6, the outer face of which is rounded to conform to the curvature of the socket-plate, so that when closed the face of the handle will lie flush with the remainder of the plate, and the handle will be out of the way when not required in lifting the casket. The socketplate has on its rear face a reinforcing-plate 7, which is likewise formed of sheet metal of uniform thickness, and the front edge '8 of the reinforcing-plate is inwardly curved to conform to the curvature of the recess 4, so I that the recess which forms the socket for the handle will be furnished with a reinforced edge throughout its entire extent. The reinforcing-plate is bent or stamped to have near each end an inwardly-extending channel 9, having an inner side wall 10 and an outer side wall 11, which latter is longer than the former and terminates in line with the extreme outer end of the recessed portion 5 in the socket-plate. The side walls are connected by a cross-wall 12, and the channels as awhole are positioned to lie immediately under the inwardly-extending recesses 5 in the socketpl ate. The reinforcing-plate terminates in attaching-ears 13 at each end. The cross-wall 12 of each of the channels is provided near its inner end with an opening 14, said openings being provided for the purpose of allowing the necessary play to the arms of the handle. The reinforcing-plate is secured to the socketplate by means of burs 15, which are formed in the process of punching outer screw-holes 16 and intermediate screw-holes 17 through the two plates. The bur forms a part of the metal composing the outer or socket plate and is forced through the hole in the reinforcing-plate and upset on the inner side thereof, thereby firmly securing the two plates together without the necessity for the use of rivets or other unsightly attaching means. The screw-holes are beveled to receive the heads of the screws, so that when secured in place the socket-plate as a whole will present a neat and attractive appearance. Adjacent to the intermediate screw-holes 17 the material composing the reinforcing-plate is cut to form a pair of flanged inwardly-extending tongues 18, each of which consists of an at taching-wall 19, extending at right angles to the reinforcing-plate, and a contact-flange 20, extending in parallel relation to the reinforcing-plate. The flanged tongues serve as stops or abutments to prevent the metal composing the plate from being inwardly bulged or sprung when the screws are driven into plate. The metal. surrounding the outer screw-holes is so thoroughly supported that the provision of supporting-tongues or s1m1- lar reinforcing means 1s unnecessary.

The handle 6, as shown in Fig. 6, consists 1n an inner plate 21 and an outer plate 22,

each stamped from a single piece of sheet metal. The inner plate 21 is formed to have a body portion 23, which is rounded to pro-- vide a suitable grasping-surface and is shaped to conform to the curvature of the recess 4 in the socket-plate. The body portion terminates at each end in channel-arms 24, having inner side flanges 25, outer side flanges 26, and a cross-wall 27, the channel-arms being of a size to fit snugly within the inwardly-extending slots 5 in the socket-plate. The metal composing the cross-walls 24 of the channel-arms is cut away near its terminal end to leave forwardly-projecting stop-fingers 27 a on the side flanges, and in close proximity to the stop-fingers the side walls are provided with inwardly-extending ears 28. The outer edge of the body portion is pro vided with a pair of recesses or indentations 29, and the inner section as awhole is adapted to be assembled with the outer section 22, which latter is shaped to conform in a general way to the shape of the inner section and has a body portion 30 and inwardly-extending arms 31, terminating in ears 32, which latter when the two sections are assembled are inwardly bent or turned, as shown in Fig. 3, to hook over the inwardly-extending cars 28 on the companion section of the handle. The outer edge of the outer section has thereon a pair of cars 33, which are adapted to hook over the recesses or depressions in the companion section of the handle, and when the ears have been properly positioned and when tightly driven into plate the handle as a whole will be as firm and rigid as if made of a single piece, and at the same time material having a much higher tensile strength can be employed when the handle is made in the manner heretofore described. The handle as a whole is secured to the socket-plate by positioning the handle to have the arms lie within the channels formed in the reinforcing socket-plate and passing through each of the handle-arms near its inner end a pivotpin 34, which pivot-pins are entered through the side walls 10 and 11 of the channels in the reinforcing-plate. The position of the handle should be such that when closed the handle and its arms will entirely fill the open spaces in the reinforcing-plate and lie flush with the surface thereof, and when the handle is raised in the position shown in Fig. 3 the projecting stop -fingers 27 will abut against the lower edges of the recesses 14 in the cross-walls 1.2 of the channels, and the outer arms 31 of the handle will abut against the inner ends of the recesses 5 in the socketplate, thereby forming a double abutment for the handle and relieving the pivot-pins from all strain when a casket is being lifted.

It will be seen from the foregoing description that the method of forming both the handle and socket-plate is one which enables a high grade of material to be employed, so that the resulting handle and plate will be much lighter than would be possible with the use of cast metal of approximately equal strength. At the same time the open channel formation of the handle is one which insures a maximum amount of strength, and the tough quality of the metal employed will prevent the handle from being cracked or broken by blows or by any amount of pressure that the handle could reasonably be subjected to. When the handle is turned down in the position shown in Fig. 1, it will be entirely stowed out of the way and being of the same general contour as the plate to which it is pivoted will not be easily distinguishable therefrom. At the same time it can be easily thrown up in position for use, and the provision of the double abutments relieves the pivots from practically all strain and distributes the strain itself, so that no portion of the socketplate is subjected to undue strain at any time. The provision of a single reinforcing-plate, which extends substantially the entire length of the socket-plate, not only provides for the necessary channels, but greatly strengthens the plate as a whole and serves to bridge over the open recesses in the faceplate, thereby strengthening the face plate at its weakest point. The method of securing the two plates together obviates any necessity for the use of rivets and provides a joint which is practically indestructible and which is entirely concealed from the face of the socket-plate and is at the same time a most convenient and economical method of securing the two plates together. The rounded or convex formation of the socketplates is one which gives great strength and rigidity and at the same time provides the necessary space on the inner side of the plate for the location of the pivots and other necessary portions of the structure, while at the same time the face of the plate presents a very solid and substantial appearance.

What I regard as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1.- In combination with a handle having a body portion and inwardly-projecting arms, a socket-plate having recesses adapted to receive the arms and a reinforcing-plate extending substantially from end to end of the socket-plate and bent to form channels bridging the recesses in the socket-plate, each of the channels having side walls and a crosswall, the cross-wall being cut away to form an inner stop for the end of one of the handlearms and the end of the recesses in the socketplate forming an outer stop, and pivots pass- 816,653 v i &

ing through the handle-arms to pivot said arms within the channels and allow the handle to be turned in a position to have the end of the arm abut against the inner stop and an intermediate portion of the handle-arm abut against the outer stop when the handle is raised, substantially as described.

2. In combination with a handle having a body portion and inwardly-projecting arms, a socket-plate having recesses adapted to receive the arms and a reinforcing-plate extending substantially from end to end of the socket-plate and bent to form channels bridging the recesses in the socket-plate, each of the channels having side walls and a crosswall, the cross-wall being cut away to form an inner stop for the end of one of the handlearms and the end of the recess in the socketplate forming an outer stop, pivots passing through the handle-arms to pivot said arms within the channels and allow the handle to be turned in a position to have the end of the arm abut against the inner stop and an intermediate portion of the handle arm abut against the outer stop when the handle is raised, and inwardly-extending burs formed by punching screw-holes through the socketplate and reinforcing-plate, said burs being upset to clamp the two plates together, substantially as described.

3. In combination with a handle having a body portion and inwardly-projecting arms, a socket-plate having recesses adapted to receive the arms and a reinforcing-plate eX- tending substantially from end to end of the socket-plate and bent to form channels bridging the recesses in the socket-plate, each of the channels having side walls and a crosswall, the cross-wall being cut away to form an inner stop for the end of one of the handlearms and the end of the recess in the socketplate forming an outer stop, pivots passing through the handle-arms to pivot said arms within the channels and allow the handle to be turned in a position to have the end of the arm abut against the inner stop and an intermediate portion of the handle arm abut against the outer stop when the handle is raised, inwardly-extending burs formed by punching screw-holes through the socketplate and reinforcing-plate, said burs being upset to clamp the two plates together, and tongues cut out of the metal composing the reinforcing-plate and inwardly turned to provide stops or supports for reinforcing the metal adjacent to the screw-holes, substantially as described.

4. A handle formed of two sections of metal, each of the sections having an outwardly-rounded body portion and pivotal arms secured thereto, one of the sections having channel-arms and the two sections being clamped together by means of overlapping ears or tongues, substantially as described.

5. A socket-plate having inwardly-extending recesses adapted to receive the arms of a handle and a recess in one of its edges adapted to receive the body of a handle, a reinforcing-plate extending substantially from end to end of the socket-plate and provided with channels adapted to bridge the recesses, said channels having side walls and a cut-away cross-wall, in combination with a handle consisting of two sections, each having a body portion and pivotal arms, the arms of one of the sections having a channel formation and the two sections being clamped together by tongues or ears, and pivot pins passing through the side walls of the channels on the reinforcing-plate and through the channeled pivotal arms of the handle for pivoting the handle to allow the ends of the arms to abut against the lower edge of the cut-away portion of the cross-wall and intermediate portions of the handle-arms to abut against the end edges of the slots in the socket-plate when the handle is raised, substantially as described.

6. A socket-plate for caskets formed of sheet metal of oval shape and having inwardly-rounded edges at its top and ends, the bottom edge being cut away to provide a cross-recess for the reception of the body of a handle, said cross-recess terminating in inwardly-extending end recesses adapted to receive the arms of a handle, a reinforcing-plate on the rear face of the socket-plate and abutments on the reinforcing late, in combinati on with a handle formecFof two sections of sheet metal, each of the sections having a body portion with pivotal arms, the pivotal arms on one section being of channel formation, and pivots for securing the arms of the handle to the socket and allowing the ends of the handle-arms to abut against the stops of the reinforcing-plate and for allowing intermediate portions of the handle-arms to abut against the inner ends of the recesses in the socket-plate, substantially as described.

7. A handle formed of two sections of sheet metal, each of the sections having a body portion with pivotal arms, the pivotal arms on one section being of channel formation and the body portions of the sections being outwardly rounded and secured together by means of overlapping tongues formed in the edge of one of the handle-sections, and the sections of the ivotal arms being secured together by over apping tongues, substantially as described.

JOHN C. EDWARD.

Witnesses:

S. WALKER BANNING, EPHRAIM BANNING, Jr.

ITS 

